# Herschend Family Entertainment

> Herschend is the largest family-owned themed attractions company in North America. What began in 1950 as a lease on an Ozark cave near Branson, Missouri now spans more than 40 parks, aquariums, water parks and live experiences - including Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Kennywood and Lake Compounce - serving tens of millions of guests a year. The company runs on an unusual operating principle it calls leading with love, and reinvests in its own workforce through the Share It Forward foundation.

- **Founded:** 1950
- **Headquarters:** Peachtree Corners, Georgia, United States
- **Founders:** Hugo Herschend (Co-founder), Mary Herschend (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** Approximately 12,000+ year-round 'hosts,' scaling to over 22,000 with seasonal staff across parks.
- **Products:** Silver Dollar City, Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Kennywood / Lake Compounce / Dutch Wonderland, Silverwood Theme Park, Aquariums
- **Notable:** Grew from a single leased Ozark cave in 1950 into the largest family-owned themed attractions company in North America., Completed the largest expansion in company history in 2025, acquiring 20+ U.S. parks from Palace Entertainment., Operates 40+ attractions across roughly a dozen U.S. states serving 15+ million guests a year.

## Products & services

- **Silver Dollar City** — The company's original theme park in Branson, Missouri, an 1880s-themed craft and adventure park built on the grounds of Marvel Cave.
- **Dollywood Parks & Resorts** — Theme park, water park and resorts in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, operated in partnership with Dolly Parton.
- **Kennywood / Lake Compounce / Dutch Wonderland** — Historic U.S. amusement parks acquired from Palace Entertainment (Parques Reunidos) in 2025.
- **Silverwood Theme Park** — The largest theme and water park in the Pacific Northwest, in Athol, Idaho, acquired in 2025.
- **Aquariums** — Adventure Aquarium (Camden, NJ) and Newport Aquarium (Newport, KY).
- **Water parks & resorts** — White Water, Dollywood's Splash Country, and lodging including The Wilderness at Silver Dollar City and Showboat Branson Belle.

## Achievements

- Grew from a single leased Ozark cave in 1950 into the largest family-owned themed attractions company in North America.
- Completed the largest expansion in company history in 2025, acquiring 20+ U.S. parks from Palace Entertainment.
- Operates 40+ attractions across roughly a dozen U.S. states serving 15+ million guests a year.
- Sustained a values-driven 'leading with love' culture across 75 years and multiple generations of ownership.
- Runs the Share It Forward foundation providing direct financial assistance to employees in hardship.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Herschend completed acquisition of Palace Entertainment's 20+ U.S. parks and attractions from Parques Reunidos, including Kennywood, Lake Compounce and Dutch Wonderland - the largest expansion in its history.
- **2025-09** — Dollywood revealed NightFlight Expedition, a new attraction for its Wildwood Grove area, opening in 2026.
- **2025-11** — Herschend completed acquisition of Silverwood Theme Park & Boulder Beach Water Park, the largest theme and water park in the Pacific Northwest.

## Links

- Website: https://www.hfecorp.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/herschend
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/HerschendFamilyEntertainment

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/herschend-family-entertainment
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-12